Originally, this was going to be an AU Post-Eyes In but it somehow ended up into a one-shot based post-Eyes In and post-Keeping The Peace

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will ever know, let alone own any characters on Flashpoint

He stood there looking at her in awe. A million thoughts going through his head. He was trying to find the right words to ask the brunette dispatcher the question that had been subconsciously trying to get out for who knows long.

"Are you alright?" Winnie asked with a small laugh at the end and he smiled, trying to compose himself.

"Uh what, yah" He said smiling "No, uh no it's just been brought to my attention that uh. Wait rewind" He looked down trying to hide the embarrassment he was starting to feel. He cleared his throat before looking her straight in the eyes.

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime?" Spike finally managed to spit out and Winnie smiled.

"Spike!" She said her voice growing higher in pitch "You're asking me out!" She stated the obvious, beaming.

He nodded his head slightly "I am" She sat speechless momentarily. "Well I don't know what to say"

"Tongue-tied. That's got to be a good sign" He joked.

"Yah, no I just- um, I'm flattered, but I don't date cops" He felt his heart drop.

"Ever?" He questioned still smiling "I'm sorry, it's just my rule." She frowned, guilt filling her.

"Okay" He said and was about to leave "Just so I know, is this one of those rules where you use it just to let guys down easy"

"No" She shook her head quickly

"No? Like one of those rules where the perfect guy comes along and the rule would go out the window?" He made a face at the last part

"No, no, no, no, it- its one of those rules that it just reminds me that I need balance in my life" The smile that he had been forcibly keeping up fell at last.

"I mean the perfect guy just came along" he nodded slightly. "Okay" he said and pushed back from the counter before walking out of the Barn, another, more genuine smile growing on his face. He never thought he would enjoy being rejected so much. Especially by her, but she thought he was the perfect guy. To her, he was the perfect guy. Then the thought hit him. It was going to be so much harder now, knowing that she thought so highly of him. He sighed when he got into his car and put his face to his hands, sighing.

'Tomorrow was going to be great' He thought stoned face.

*Back at the Barn*

The sound of heels on linoleum got her attention and she looked up to see Leah coming towards her.

"Hey Leah, good job today" She said hoping that the Haitian woman wouldn't bring up the question that she was dreading.

"What was that?" She asked pointing towards the door that Spike had exited through no more than five minutes before.

"what was what?" She asked trying to play dumb but knew that it wouldn't work. She sighed, "I don't know, its not that I don't like him because I do. I meant what I said to him, the perfect guy just came along. And I suppose he's been here for almost four years now."

She looked at her hands and Leah nodded "Then why push him away?" She asked and Winnie shook her head.

"Because their might be a day where that perfect guy just might not come back through that door, and I don't think I could handle it if that day happened." Leah nodded, in full understanding of her friends' predicament; she told Winnie how she had lived her friends' worst nightmare when the earthquake had devastated her home. When she came to Canada, she had left her high school sweetheart behind, he was the only man she ever truly loved and when she went back after the earthquake, she found out that he was killed during the initial disaster. Both Winnie and Leah had tears forming in their eyes by the time Leah finished her tale. It was a rare sight for the bald man who was leaving to see.

"I think you should forget about your rule and get that perfect guy of yours," Leah said laughing. "Before it's too late" Winnie smiled before saying goodbye to her friend.

It was 11:11 when Winnie got finished her shift. She saw the time and grinned.

"I wish I got off earlier," She said to herself. She grabbed her phone and dialled Spikes cell phone number.

"Hey this is Spike, I'm probably out defusing a bomb right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you if I'm still alive tonight."

The machine beeped and she realized she didn't even know what she wanted to say. She glanced at the clock and just started talking, she hung up assuming since he did not answer that Spike would be in bed already considering they both had to be in by eleven the next day.

However, Spike was far from getting any sleep. He lay on his couch holding the remote flipping through the numerous channels he had. He stopped when he heard his phone vibrate next to him, picking it up he saw the name on his display screen and opened the message, smiling.

'Hey when you get this check your voicemail, please?' his smile quickly turned into a frown as he automatically assumed the worse had happened to her. He fumbled with his phone trying to quickly get to the voicemail.

"Hey Spike, I know it's late but I just got off work. I was wondering if I can get a ride to work in the morning my car is being a bitch," He laughed at her choice of words. "And um there is something I wanted… actually no, never mind, it's late I'll tell you later. Have a goodnight Michelangelo" His mouth went dry when she said his full name. He wondered what she wanted to talk about but figured it could wait until the morning, as Winnie was right and it was getting late.

The conversation that Winnie wanted to have didn't happen the next morning like either of them had hoped, nor did it occur the morning after that. No, in fact the conversation didn't happen until a month later. There were numerous times that Spike had brought something up that could have ignited the talk she wanted so desperately to have with him but each of the times were at the Barn and she knew that it wasn't a talk for everyone to be included in. Although where they ultimately ended up discussing everything was at a hospital and the team was there, anyway so it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

Spike and the rest of the team were already there when Winnie arrived with Dean and his girlfriend. Dean allowed Leah to guide him to a seat and his girlfriend followed sitting beside him and pulling him into a much-needed hug. Winnie took in the sight around her. Sam held his wife as she sobbed into his chest, neither of them caring about their injuries. Leah sat on the other side of Dean trying to comfort the poor teenager. Ed was most likely with his family and Winnie understood why. Spike though, Spike sat silent, His face serious and sombre. He stood up and walked towards her, pulling her into a hug and just holding her there. The tears started to flow out of her eyes, tears she didn't know she had been holding.

He sat down but she stayed were she was before going to sit beside Leah. She knew he was staring at her but she could not look at him right now without crying or screaming at him for being so idiotic.

Ed walked out almost four hours later and Dean brought his head out of his hands to look at him, "How is my dad?" Dean asked the question she knew the rest of the team was too afraid to ask, his voice cracking from being dry.

"He'll live, but its going to be hard. He's not going to be able to work anymore and he leg will never fully recover but he will live" Ed told them and they all let out a breath that they didn't know they were holding in.

Spike stood up "Does anybody want something to eat? Winnie and I are going to the cafeteria" She knew what he was trying to do so she went with him after the orders were taken.

"Winnie, talk to me." He said softly, lifting her chin forcing her to look at him, "What's wrong?"

She slid down the wall before bursting into tears for the third time that day. Spike knelt down in front of her, "Hey, look at me," He whispered, "We are all here. We're all alive" She shoved him back when he said that and he fell on his butt.

"Ow! What was that-" he didn't get to finish before a body slammed into him.

"It could have been you, you could've been blown up, you could've been shot, it could've been you," She cried.

"It could be me on a daily basis and I know why you have that rule" She shook her head

"Just be careful, I don't want to lose you, I can't loose you" he nodded pulling her towards him and she settled into the crook of his neck. They sat like that for what seemed like hours before he pulled her up and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"I do believe we have to get food back to the team, or they might start hinting us down," He said with a laugh and the pair left.

He drove her home that night when everyone except Dean and Ed (who was staying with Clarke) had left. They stood in front of her house when she cleared her throat.

"I'm glad the boss is okay," She said and he nodded "I'm glad you're okay "Winnie whispered hoping that he wouldn't hear. He grabbed onto her hands and she slowly wove them behind his back.

"I love you," He told her and she gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "Shit Win, I screwed up, god I'm so sorry. Forget I even-" and for the third time that day she cut him off, only this time it was the feel of her soft lips against his.

"I love you too Spike"

FIN

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